On 5 Dec 2007,
a radio piece (recorded 14 Nov 2007) about drug marketing was aired. I briefly commented on Gardasil, a human papillomavirus vaccine, and questioned its marketing and cost-effectiveness.

On 17 Dec 2007, CSL Limited sent
a letter signed by Dr Rachel David to the Vice Chancellor of the University of Queensland (UQ). CSL complained about my radio comments on Gardasil and noted their long standing relationship with UQ.

On 14 March 2008, the University sent me a letter (
p1
,
p2
) signed by the then Secretary and Registrar, Mr Douglas Porter. The letter said I should apologise to CSL because it was "highly likely" that I had misled listeners to believe that my opinions had been endorsed by UQ.

On 2 May 2008, seven weeks after the University first said I should apologise to CSL, and three days after this interview was recorded, UQ issued a statement to The 7.30 Report (ABC TV's national current affairs program). This statement, which said UQ would not pursue an apology, was critically discussed
here with ongoing international commentary e.g. Australian,
French,
German,
Italian.

On 25 June 2008, I did a follow up radio piece discussing drug company influence over universities.

Links to more media coverage and analysis below. UQ's policy on academic freedom is here.